Chiefs name side to face Saints in LV= Cup Final

Home turf, capacity crowd and the hopes of a rugby-mad region right behind them - it seems Exeter Chiefs have all the ingredients to serve up a real treat in Sunday's LV= Cup final at Sandy Park (1pm).

Standing in the way of silverware for Rob Baxter and his team, however, are Premiership rivals Northampton Saints, themselves no strangers to the big occasion and indeed former winners of the competition in 2010.

Sat at the summit of English rugby's top division, the Saints have certainly been the team that have set the benchmark this season. Jim Mallinder's men - even without their vast array of international talent at times - have continued to underline their proven credentials.

Last weekend's 26-7 semi-final victory over Saracens demonstrated the threat that lies within their ranks, but the Chiefs themselves know they are not a million miles away and will have taken great satisfaction from their own last four victory over Bath at the Recreation Ground.

That 22-19 success not only ended the so-called 'Bath hoodoo' at the 12th attempt, but it placed Baxter's outfit just a game away from claiming arguably the biggest prize in the club's history.

Certainly the promotion-winning year of 2010 when Devon's finest advanced out of the Championship and into the Premiership at the expense of Bristol will take some beating, but should they claim success this weekend even that memorable night could well be eclipsed.

For that to happen, though, the Chiefs know they will have to produce a stellar showing against the in-form Saints, who Baxter himself rates very highly in terms of how they go about their business.

The Exeter head coach says nothing less than an "80-minute performance" will be enough for his side who, taking the Championship double-header out of the equation, have lost their four previous national cup finals.

Indeed, the last time they won a cup was in 1996 – when Baxter himself held aloft the Devon Senior Cup for the eighth season in a row.

Since then the club headed to Twickenham for four finals during their time in the second tier, each time suffering the heartache of defeat at Rugby HQ.

The last of those finals just happens to have been against Northampton, when Jim Mallinder guided his side to a league and cup double in the 2007/08 campaign. They triumphed 24-13 at Twickenham against an injury-ravaged Exeter side, but no Chiefs players who appeared that day are set to feature this weekend.

James Hanks and Tom Johnson did play in the final six years ago, but Hanks is now injured following a hefty collision at Bath a week ago, whilst Johnson has a date in Italy this weekend with England alongside club-mate Jack Nowell.
Baxter is keen for the tide to turn and has challenged his players to go out and create yet more headlines in the history of the club.

"We're very excited and looking forward to the game because this is what we need to be doing," said Baxter. "I just said to the guys today, we don't need to beat Northampton four times or whatever to win the trophy, it's about the 80 minutes this weekend, that's what cup finals are all about.
"What we have to do is walk out onto our own pitch and put in an 80-minute performance. We were pretty good last time against the Saints here, but now we have to be a bit better. Let's go out and play in a way that we are happy with and gives us the chance to force a win. That is what you have to do in a final - you have to go out and win it."
And the Chiefs leader believes should his team prevail on Sunday, it will be just reward for a squad effort that has seen over 40 players - young and old - play their part throughout the competition.

He added: "One thing I am pleased about is that this is a great reward for the squad as a whole. Yes, we have gone stronger in the last few rounds, but every team does that at this stage of the competition.

"I think what it does show is that we have a group of players here who want to be playing in big games at this time of the year. For me, that's a really important thing because if you look at the fixtures that are happening right now, the top Premiership sides are either giving up guys for internationals; they're getting ready to play top four games or Heineken Cup quarter-finals; or they are getting ready for and LV= Cup final.

“Looking at the Premiership teams that have won it in recent years, it is a marker of the top sides of the Premiership. It’s the top four sides who have been winning it.

“As much as there are rounds in it when you play mix-and-match sides and give players opportunities, the teams that win it are the big boys. That’s what makes it a very big occasion for us.

“Northampton, because of their history in the LV= Cup, the size of their squad and the season they’re having, will be favourites, but we have got the advantage of it being at our home ground and we’re playing pretty well.

“I think it’s going to be a great game, and I’m happy with that because normally good games go our way. When a lot of rugby is played, sometimes we’re the ones who come through it.”

With a sell-out crowd at Sandy Park ready to roar them on, Baxter is hoping the 'home factor' will come into play for him and his players.

He continued: "The home factor has to be helpful. To say that it's not nice to be playing at home in a Cup Final is ridiculous. However, what we have to do - a bit like when we play in the Premiership or any other game here - is to play in a way that gets the crowd behind us.
"Yes, it should be a partisan crowd and yes Northampton will bring a good crowd with them, but we should be able to do something that gets the crowd behind us and makes it a special occasion for us."

Certainly the Tribe will have plenty to cheer about in terms of the Exeter line-up, which is boosted up front by the return of Ben Moon. The prop missed out at Bath a week ago to attend the birth of his first son, but he returns with Carl Rimmer dropping down to the bench.

Other changes to the starting XV see Jason Shoemark and Fetu'u Vainikolo come into the team in place of Ian Whitten (calf) and Tom James (knee); whilst on the bench Romana Graham takes over from the injured Hanks; Don Armand is preferred to James Scaysbrook and Fijian force Sireli Naqelevuki offers back-up out wide.

15 Luke Arscott
14 Fetu'u Vainikolo
13 Phil Dollman
12 Jason Shoemark
11 Matt Jess
10 Henry Slade
9 Dave Lewis
1 Ben Moon
2 Chris Whitehead
3 Hoani Tui
4 Dean Mumm (capt)
5 Damian Welch
6 Dave Ewers
7 Ben White
8 Kai Horstmann

16 Luke Cowan-Dickie
17 Carl Rimmer
18 Alex Brown
19 Romana Graham
20 Don Armand
21 Haydn Thomas
22 Gareth Steenson
23 Sireli Naqelevuki

Pictures: Exeter Rugby Club/Pinnacle Photo Agency